Wilde (1997)

The story of Oscar Wilde, genius, poet, playwright and the First Modern Man. The self-realization of his homosexuality caused Wilde enormous torment as he juggled marriage, fatherhood and ... See full summary »

Director:

Brian Gilbert

Writers:

Richard Ellmann (book), Julian Mitchell,

Stars:

Stephen Fry, Jude Law, Vanessa Redgrave

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephen Fry	...	Oscar Wilde
Jude Law	...	Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Lady Speranza Wilde
Jennifer Ehle	...	Constance Lloyd Wilde
Gemma Jones	...	Lady Queensberry
Judy Parfitt	...	Lady Mount-Temple
Michael Sheen	...	Robbie Ross
Zoë Wanamaker	...	Ada Leverson
Tom Wilkinson	...	Marquess of Queensberry
Ioan Gruffudd	...	John Gray
Matthew Mills	...	Lionel Johnson
Jason Morell	...	Ernest Dowson
Peter Barkworth	...	Charles Gill
Robert Lang	...	C.O. Humphreys
Philip Locke	...	Judge

Storyline

The story of Oscar Wilde, genius, poet, playwright and the First Modern Man. The self-realization of his homosexuality caused Wilde enormous torment as he juggled marriage, fatherhood and responsibility with his obsessive love for Lord Alfred Douglas, nicknamed Bosie. After legal action instigated by Bosie's father, the enraged Marquise of Queensberry, Wilde refused to flee the country and was sentenced to two years at hard labor by the courts of an intolerant Victorian society.

---

Plot Keywords:

homosexuality | love | hard labor | prison | playwright | 

---

Taglines:

The story of the first modern man

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

"Wilde" official site

Country:

UK Germany Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Oscar Wilde

Filming Locations:

Grip House Studios, Greenford, Middlesex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$69,424 (USA) (1 May 1998)

Gross:

$2,157,701 (USA) (6 November 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Capitol Films, Dove International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last feature of Peter Barkworth.

---

Goofs

When Bosie enters Oscar's room in the country house, a picture to the left of the door reflects a studio light and later, when Bosie sits down, the boom.

---

Quotes

Rentboy: Looking for someone?

---

Connections

Referenced in BBC Proms: Prom 2: Music from Great British Films (2007)

User Reviews

Mild Wilde

Playwright, celebrated wit and persecuted homosexual Oscar Wilde is excellently portrayed by Stephen Fry in this biopic but without a hint of the expected waspishness. Instead, we see Wilde as a kindly, sensitive, almost avuncular man. What's more surprising is the parallel absence of manifest sordidness, self-loathing, or desperation, which one might have assumed would have been par for the course in an age where homosexuality was stigmatised and criminal. But as 'Wilde' tells it, Oscar, on discovering his true nature in early middle age, then enjoyed a number of halcyon years in a gay literary milieu, tensioned only by the childish behaviour of his lover, Bosie, and was taken quite by surprise when he suddenly became a figure of public scandal. Which may have been the case, but it makes for a less pressing and gripping drama than one might have hoped for. What's interesting is Wilde's defence in court, which has very little to do with "normal" homosexual behaviour or ordinary human relationships, but which rather comprised a divine idealisation of the bond between a wise older person and a beautiful younger one: hardly the sort of argument that gay rights campaigners would make today. A special credit should go to the team responsible for allowing Fry to appear so convincingly both a dashing young twenty year old and a ruined man, on the verge of death. But this is a mild and indulgent film.